Button-knife



J, M. McCRAY.

BUTTON KNIFE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19' 1920.

1,380,226 1 Patented May 31, 1921. v

affoz uexg UNITED STATES JOHN M. MGGRAY, OF PUEBLO, COLORADO.

BUTTON-KNIFE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patent d M 31 19.21 7

Application filed October 19, 1920. Serial No. 417,958.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN M. MoCRAY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Pueblo, in the county ofPueblo and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Button-Knives, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to means for removing buttons from shoes, garmentsand other articles, and comprises a cutter to sever the button and aholder to receive and retain the severed buttons, the object being toprovide a cutter easily and conveniently manipulated, easily kept inorder, and into which the butt0ns, when severed, are convenientlydirected without danger of loss.

Referring to the accompanying drawingq, which illustrates my invention:

igure 1 is a perspective view of my 1mproved cutter.

Fig. 2 is a side view cut away at the base to show the interior chamberwhich receives and holds the severed buttons.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing thedevice in its relation to a button being severed.

1 designates a cylindrical tube open at one end, which I will denominatethe front end, to form a receptacle or holder for buttons. This tube isto be held in the hand of the user and it has one side cut away at itsfront end as at 2, to enable the thumb of the user to'be pressed downinto the concavity of the projecting end. Near one edge of theprojecting end is formed an elongated slot 3, extending in alongitudinal direction, and having an opening 4 at one side.

On the outside of the projecting end of tube 1, and at the uncut side ofthe slot 3, 1s a cuttmg blade or plate 5 secured in place by removableclamping screws 6-6, its cutting edge projecting slightly inward beyondtheedge of the slot so that it may sever the thread which holds thebutton before the edge of the slot can reach the same. When the cutter 5becomes dull, it may, by removing the screws 6-6, be taken off andsharpened. The device is used in the followingmanner The user grasps thetube 1 in his hand, placing his thumb over, or into, the concavity ofthe projecting front end; then he applies it to the button to be removedin such way as to pass the projecting end under the button and pass thethread holding the button through the opening 4, and then presses histhumb down upon the button to hold the same and keep it from flying awaywhen severed, and to pass it back into the receptacle. In case thethread is not easily cut by pressing the cutter against it the devicemay be moved back and forth (the slot 3 permitting such movement), thecutter 5 then acting in the manner of a saw.

Having thus described my invention, I claim A device for removingbuttons from shoes or fabrics, the same comprising a tubular cylindricalmember having one side cut away to form a semi-tubular projection, saidprojection being provided with an elongated longitudinally extendingslot having an opening at one side, and "a cutter blade at the oppositeside of the slot.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature hereto.

JOHN MoGRAY.

